Paper Code: GIS 03

Principles of Remote Sensing

Digital Image Interpretation
PG Diploma in RS & GIS
Dr. SHYAMA PRASAD MUKHERJEE UNIVERSITY, RANCHI
 What is a Digital Image?
A digital image is a representation of a two-dimensional image as a finite set of digital values, called
picture elements or pixels.
 Principles of Image Interpretation
✓ Visual interpretation of satellite images is important in Remote Sensing and GIS for
different applications.

✓ Visual interpretation is the skills that an image interpretation apply equally to an image.
 IMAGE INTERPRETATION

• How is information extracted from images?

- visual image interpretation (in this Unit)
- semi-automatic processing by computer
 IMAGE INTERPRETATION

✓Visual interpretation is based on relating colours and patterns to real-world features.

✓Images can be displayed on a computer monitor or in hard copy form.
✓Mapping conveys the findings.
 FUNDAMENTALS

• Analysing an image is typically done through a combination of:

❖direct and “spontaneous recognition”;
❖using several clues to draw conclusions through a reasoning process (i.e. “logical
inference”).
 Type of Image Data Products
Depending on Correction applied & level of Processing

RS Data Product

RS Data Product Raw Data:

Radiometrically and Geometrically Uncorrected Data
Photographic Products:
Such as Paper Prints, (Black & White and FCC
Data) Standard Data:
Radiometrically and Geometrically Corrected Data

Digital Form:
Radiometrically and Geometrically Corrected Data Geocoded Products:
Products are North oriented and compatible to Survey of India
map sheet.

Precision Product:
Radiometrically and Geometrically Corrected Data with the use of GCP
to achieve greater Location accuracy
Making of Coloured / False Colour Composite (FCC)

Additive
colour
synthesis
Infrared false colour
composition
 Color Composite
Color Composite:
RGB- Designed to display raster data in Red Green Blue (RGB) color space.
➢ True Color Composite (TCC)
➢ False Color Composite (FCC)

True color composite(TCC)- The True False composite(FCC)- The False color
color composite is the image composite is an image with the different band
compositions with the band combination combination than its natural color.
as an ordinary human eye sees Monitor Sensor Monitor

R >>>> R NIR >>>> R

G >>>> G R >>>> G
G >>>> B
B >>>> B
Color Composite( Real Colour Composite)
Color Composite( Real Colour Composite)
Real/ True Color Composite
 Image Interpretation Strategy
✓ Visual image interpretation: Process of identifying what we see on the images and
communicate the information obtained from these images to others for evaluating its
significance.

✓ Includes relative locations and extents.

✓ Use of data products like satellite single band image, FCC for performing image
interpretations to extract thematic information for subsequent input to GIS
 Level of Image Interpretation Keys
Interpretation Keys:
Criterion for identification of an Object with interpretation Elements or Keys.

interpretation elements provide guidelines to recognise certain objects:

1. X, Y Location
2. Size
3. Shape
4. Shadow
5. Tone/hue
Basic Elements of Image Interpretation
6. Colour
7. Texture
8. Pattern
9. Height/elevation and Depth
10. Site, Situation and association
 Location
There are two primary method to obtain precise location in the from of Coordinates:

i. Survey in the field using traditional survey techniques or global positioning system
instrument.
ii. Collect remotely sensed data of the object, rectify the image and ten extract the
desired coordinate information.

Most scientists use relatively inexpensive GPS instruments in the filed to obtain the
desired location.
 Size
✓ The size of an object is one of the most distinguishing characteristics
and one of the more important elements of interpretation.

✓ Most commonly, length, width and perimeter are measured. To be

able to do this successfully, it is necessary to know the scale of the
photo. Measuring the size of the unknown object allows the
interpreter to rule out possible alternative.

✓ Most commonly measured parameters:

length., width, perimeter, area occasionally volume
 Shape
✓ Shape of an object described as the geometric from represented on an image.

✓ Regular shapes are signs of man- made object.

✓ Irregular shapes with no distinct geometrical pattern are signs of a natural

environment.
Size: Length, breadth and height
 Elements of Image Interpretation

Size of objects in an image is a function of scale.

▪ It is important to assess the size of a target relative to other objects in a
scene, as well as the absolute size.
Major Road/Highway Village

Town

Agriculture
fields

Minor roads/cart roads

Shape: Regular.Irregular,Even,Uneven
 Elements of Image Interpretation
Shape refers to the general form, structure, or outline of individual objects.
▪ Straight edge shapes typically represent urban or agricultural fields, while
natural features, such as forest edges, are generally more irregular in shape.

Regular shaped: Regular shaped:

Dam Agriculture fields
 Shadow
✓ Generally remotely sensed data from polar orbiting satellites are collected
between 9:30 to 10:30 am to avoid extended shadow in the image.

✓ This is because shadows can obscure other objects that could otherwise be
identified.

✓ On the other hand, the shadow cast by an object may be key to the identify of
another object.
 Shadow
✓ Take for example the Washington
monument in Washington D.C while
viewing this from above it can be difficult
to discern the shape of the monuments,
but with a shadow cast, this process
becomes much easier.

✓ It is good practice to orient the photos

so that the shadows are falling towards
the interpreter.

✓ A pseudoscopic illusion can be

produced if the shadow is oriented away
from the observer. The happens when
low points appear high and high points
appear low.
 Shadow:
Shadow of building, tree, hills
SHADOW

Ronald Regan
Airport,
Washington
61 Centimeter
Quick Bird
Satellite data
 Elements of Image Interpretation

Shadow is also helpful in interpretation as it may provide an idea of the profile

and relative height of a target.

Shadow regions
 Tone and Colour
Band of EM spectrum recorded by RS system may be displayed in shades of grey ranging
from black and white.

Tone :
✓ Continuous grey scale varying from white to black.

✓ It refers to relative brightness or colour of objects in an image.

✓ Vegetation, water and bare soil reflect different proportions of energy in blue , green , red
and infrared portions of the electro-magnetic spectrum.

✓ An interpreter can document the amount of energy reflected from each at specific wave
lengths to create a spectral signature.
Tone/colour: Light, Medium and dark

TONE/COLOUR
 Elements of Image Interpretation

Tone refers to the relative brightness or colour of objects in an image.

Light Light
Dark/Bright Black/Dark Blue: Red/Pink : Blue/Cyan :
Red : Forest : River/water Agriculture Settlement
 Elements of Image Interpretation
7. Association takes into account the relationship between other recognizable
objects or features in proximity to the target of interest.

White colored
River sandy river-beds
 Tone and Colour
✓ These signature can help to understand why certain objects appear as they do
on black and white or colour imagery.

✓ These shades of grey are referred to as tone

✓ The darker an object appears, the less light it reflects.

✓ Colour image is often preferred because, as opposed to shades of grey (humans

differentiate 40-50 individual shades of grey) where's humans can detect
thousands of different colour.

✓ Colour aids in the process of photo interpretation.

 Pattern: Special arrangement of object
PATTERN

✓ Texture : characteristics placement and arrangement of repetitions of tone of color in an image.

✓ Visual impression of roughness or smoothness of an image region.

 Pattern
Pattern is the spatial arrangement of objects in the landscape. The objects may be
arranged randomly or systematically. They can be natural, as with a drainage pattern
of river or man made.
 Elements of Image Interpretation

Pattern refers to the spatial arrangement of visibly noticeable objects.

▪ An orderly repetition of similar tones and textures will produce a distinctive and ultimately recognizable
pattern.
▪ For example, plantations with evenly spaced trees and urban streets with regularly spaced houses are good
examples of pattern.

Pattern of trees
and grassland in
FRI campus
 Texture: Smooth, linear, irregular, fine ,medium and coarse

TEXTURE

✓ Texture: characteristics placement and arrangement of repetitions of tone of color in an

image.

✓ visual impression of roughness or smoothness of an image region.

 Elements of Image Interpretation

Texture refers to the arrangement and frequency of tonal variation in particular

areas of an image.
• Rough textures would consist of a mottled tone where the color levels
change abruptly in a small area, whereas smooth textures would have very
little tonal variation.

• Smooth textures are most often the

result of uniform, even surfaces, such as
fields or grasslands.
• A target with a rough surface and
irregular structure, such as a forest
canopy, results in a rough textured
appearance.
 Site, Situation and Association
✓ Site has unique physical characteristics which might include elevation, slope and surface
cover (e.g. grass, forest, water, bare soil)

✓ Site can also have socio economic characteristics such as the value of land or the
closeness such as the value of land or the closeness to water

✓ Situation refers to how the objects in the an image are organized and situated in respect to
each other

✓ Most power plants have materials and building associated in a fairly predictable manner.
✓ Association refers to the fact that when you find a certain activity within a photo or image
you usually encounter related or associated feature or activities.

✓ Site, situation and association are rarely used independent of each other when analyzing
an image.
 Feature Identification on Landsat-5 TM

Canal

Forest

City Lake

River

Agriculture
 Feature Identification on LISS-III
Agriculture Fallow lands Road

Lake Agriculture Village

River crops
Comparison of Features

Reference images: Landsat-5 TM and Liss-3